I just found out Bill Hayes from the Anglers Pro Shop has passed away. Bill was only 5o yrs. old. I have known Bill since he first moved here from Canada. At one time we were best friends. Fished together in many places and several countries. We drifted apart a while back.My sincere condolences to his family. For those of you who don't know Bill. The Anglers Pro Shop is in Souderton Pa. The shop was first owned by Herb Van Dyke. About 20 yrs. ago. Bill bought the store.

WILLIAM PATRICK 'BILL' HAYES William Patrick "Bill" Hayes, of Perkasie, PA, and formerly of Rexdale, Ontario, Canada, died suddenly on Wednesday, April 9, 2014. He was 50. He was the husband of Joanne E. (Deebel) Hayes. The couple would have celebrated their 2nd Wedding Anniversary on April 28, 2014. Born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, he was the son of Patrick Hayes, of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, and the late Dian (Novakovich) Hayes. Bill was an avid and professional fly fisherman. He owned and operated the Angler's Pro Shop, Souderton, PA, for 20 years, having been an employee at the shop for 10 years prior. He was proud to have tied flies for former President Jimmy Carter and holds six World Records in fishing. Surviving with his wife are two daughters, Kayla Dion Hayes, of New York, NY and Ashley C. Stauffer, of California; two stepchildren, Madison T. and Sean C. Hendricks, both of Perkasie; and a sister, Kellie Hayes, of Brampton, Ontario, Canada. His Memorial Services will be held Tuesday, April 15, 2014, at 6:00 PM at the Bernard Suess Funeral Home, 606 Arch Street, Perkasie, where family and friends may call from 4:00 PM until the time of the service. Interment will be held at the convenience of the family. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you donate or do something for the betterment of nature. Donate to a nature oriented cause or plant a tree or flowers in Bill's memory. www.suessfuneralhome.net

I was at the viewing/service last night. Packed house. We should all be so lucky as to have what had to be 100+ folks come to see us off. A bunch of guys like us (craven outdoorsmen and flyfishermen instructed and/or inspired by Bill) staggering around trying to wrap our heads around the situation, and of course his family.

For the record, he died of a massive heart attack. He had been experiencing excruciating pain from a chronic neck injury over the past year or so.

Bill was always the guy I called on for advice, fishing or otherwise. I could count on him to call for a general life update at least once a month. I've lost one of my closest friends, and we have all lost one of the world's great fishermen and one of the all time great dudes. Fishing-wise, it's as if the Library at Alexandria burned.

I'm supposing that God himself must have decided to do more offshore fly-fishing and thus decided to permanently retain the one to whom he gave the greatest talents.

oh my god. I had no idea. I was just in there last month chatting with him. He always seemed to be in good shape and was talking about going to the gym all the time. I bought my first fly reel from him and a good portion of my tying supplies when I first started. RIP.